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Research PaperManagement Studies

MANAGING WORK PLACE STRESS

THROUGH MEDITATION
*Dr. Gaurav Bissa**Dr. Amit Sharma
May, 2010

* Assot. Prof, Deptt. of Management Studies, Govt. Engineering Collage, Bikaner

** Asst. Prof, Deptt. of Management Studies, Govt. Engineering Collage, Ajmer,
A B S T R A C T
Modern men have become slaves to machines and their life has turned so mechanical that the human
aspect seems to be lost. Constant work leads to immense wear and tear of the human body through the
stress. Due to stress, organizations are in doldrums. The paper talks about managing stress as per
Meditation. Meditation is regarded now days as a useful means of relaxing the mind and the body. The
idea behind meditation is to consciously relax your body and focus your thoughts on one thing for a
sustained period. This occupies your mind, diverting it from the problems that are causing you stress. It
gives your body time to relax and recuperate, and to clear away stress hormones that may have built up.
Meditation is a useful and practical relaxation technique.
Key words: Stress Management, Meditation, and Transcendental Meditation.
Introduction
latter, & with the course of time stress has become
Modern technology has divorced man from that word.According to David Fontana: Stress is a
nature. He has become a slave to machines and his demand made upon the adaptive capacities of the
life has turned so mechanical that the human aspect mind & body.
seems to be lost. Wear and tear of machines can be Why Stress?
made good by over haunting them. Constant work
The stresses of life may take many and varied
leads to immense wear and tear of the human body forms. The death of a spouse or a close relative, a
through the stress. Stress seems to have come into divorce, getting fired, making a change like moving,
English language (via Middle English) from Old paying on your mortgage, all are stressful. Even
French word destresse, which means to be placed pleasant events like a marriage, getting promoted,
under narrowness or oppression (Old French Christmas or driving a car are also stressful. Stress is
estresse). di sometimes got lost through slurring, common to us all - business executives, factory
leaving us with two words stress & distress which workers, teachers, repairmen, mothers and children.
have now come to carry rather different meanings, Stress can come from painful experiences as it can also
the one ambivalent,
result from pleasure. No one is immune to stress. Stress
The second always indication something results from an event or a situation that places physical/
unpleasant.Stress has to do with constriction or psychological demands upon you. When stress
oppression of some kind, & distress the state of occurs, whether due to a happy or unhappy event,
being under this constriction or oppression. But complex physiological reactions occur in the body that
Modern English seems to need a word that lies partly prepares one to fight or flight. These age-old
between pressure & emphasis, carrying something responses date from prehistoric times when either
of the potential connotation of the former & fighting or fleeing were the answers to the problems of
something of the more neutral connotation of the life in the jungle. In contemporary society we seldom

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actually run or attack in response to stresses, so the

resulting bodily preparedness for dangers often
remains unabaited.
Symptoms of Stress :- Stress is a natural &
unavoidable feature of life. Symptoms can be either
physiological or psychological in nature. Common
physical symptoms of stress are headaches, muscle
tension, fatigue, overeating, loss of appetite,
constipation, diarrhea, rapid heartbeat, hypertension,
and insomnia. Common psychological symptoms of
stress are inattentiveness, forgetfulness, poor
concentration, irritability, restlessness, hyperactivity,
frustration, anger, anxiety, and depression. Each
person possesses a unique combination of stress
symptoms.
Common signs of Work Stress :- There is a multitude
of specific signs of stress that appear at work. We can
study the causes of work stress in three contexts. The
General causes of stress at work, the Specific causes
of stress at work & the Task-related causes of stress
at work.
1. The General Causes of Stress at work:- are
organisational problems, insufficient back-up, long or
unsociable hours, poor status, pay & promotion
prospects, unnecessary rituals & procedures,
uncertainty & insecurity.
2. The Specific Causes of Stress at work :- are unclear
role specifications, role conflict, perfectionism, inability
to influence decision making (Powerlessness),
frequent clashes with superiors, isolation from
colleagues support, overwork & time pressures, lack
of variety, poor communication, inadequate
leadership, conflict with colleagues, inability to finish
a job & fighting unnecessary battles.
3. The Task-related causes of Stress at work :-are
difficult clients or subordinates, insufficient training,
emotional involvement with clients or subordinates,
responsibilities of the job, inability to help or act
effectively. The signs of work stress generally occur
in distinct combinations, as do the symptoms of stress.
Common signs of Personal Stress:- Common signs
of personal stress include believing that life is unfair,
believing that you are entitled, feeling sorry for
yourself, being too sensitive, always trying to control
others, always trying to please others, being jealous,
being envious, being socially overactive, socially
withdrawing, being unable to maintain long term
relationships, engaging in risky behaviors, craving or
abusing substances such as caffeine, alcohol,

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tobacco, or drugs, compulsively exercising or

shopping, driving extremely fast or recklessly, and
expressing road rage. Personal stress can also be death
by choice though unemployment and poverty are
cited as reasons for suicide.
Can stress be good? Stress is mans prime enemy.
Stress cannot be avoided or controlled. Stress leads
too many life-etching diseases such as Hypertension,
Heart disorder, Diabetes, Arthritis, Asthma. Stress
oriented diseases claim lakhs of human lives every
year. Stress does not result from virus or germs and
hence has no vaccine to cure it. Stress cannot be
treated bromidically. Symptoms of stress causes can
be treated with medicines which May give immediate
but temporary relief. Cease to be ineffective after
sustained use. Increase dependency with
decreased results are expensive. Lead to other maladies
and side effects. The present stressful conditions
around us cannot change.Even a cure- all medicine
cannot be administered. The only alternative left is to
face these conditions.
Coping Stress :- Methods of Diversion in Stress
Management
A. Solo-Active: 1.Reading 2. Writing 3. Photography
4.Art, (e.g., painting, drawing, sculpting) 5.Playing a
musical instrument 6.Collection (e.g., stamps, coins,
antiques, etc.) 7. Running 8. Hobbies (e.g., knitting,
wood-carving, etc.) 9. Vacations
B. Group- Activities 1.Sports (e.g., tennis, bowling,
golf, etc.) 2.Games (bridge, poker, etc.) 3. Eating out
4. Vacations
C. Solo-Passive/Group-Passive 1. Television 2.
Movies 3. Shows and Theatre 4. Listening to music
(radio, records, tapes, etc.) 5. Concepts, opera 6.
Sporting events (e.g., football, hockey, cricket, etc.) 7.
Vacations
D. Meditation. :-This paper is focusing on meditation
and how it is helpful in overcoming the stress. The next
part of this paper will discuss about meditation and its
use in mitigate stress.
Meditation :- The word I is the most common and
also the most confused word. There are a lower self
and a higher self in us. Meditation helps us discover
the higher self. The lower self has many Is I am
a father, I am brother, I am the boss. but these are only
the roles that I play; but I am not the role. Then who
am I? I am a space in which all thoughts and roles exist.
This inner space is the higher self.This inner space is
silence. Meditation helps you discover this silence.

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Silence is not the absence of sound but a presence

filled with life. Silence is not a product of thoughts but
a space from which thoughts exit. When you look
inward, you find your thoughts are seeking something
in the form of pleasure, name, fame and power. The
seeker runs after something. In the seeker the sought
is hidden. Actually one is seeking silence. This ancient
discipline involves contemplation while focusing your
mind on a thought or object. It is a practice that can
enable you to understand everything in your life more
clearly. Meditation helps you examine what is
happening to yourself as a whole person. It is a way of
getting to know yourself that can transform and reveal
your life in a new perspective. The use of Meditation
for healing is not new. Meditative techniques are the
product of diverse cultures and peoples around the
world. It has been rooted in the traditions of the worlds
great religions. During the 1960s, reports reached the
West of yogis and meditation masters in India who
could perform extraordinary feats of bodily control and
altered states of consciousness. These reports captured
the interest of Western researchers studying selfregulation and the possibility of voluntary control over
the autonomic nervous system. At the same time, new
refinements in scientific instrumentation made it
possible to duplicate and substantiate some of these
reports at medical research institutes. Health care
professionals who were often dissatisfied with the
side effects of drug treatments for stress-related
disorders embraced meditation as a valuable tool for
stress reduction, and today both patients and
physicians enjoy the health benefits of regular
meditation practice.
Meditation for Lessening Mental Tension
Meditation is regarded now days as a useful
means of relaxing the mind and the body. After
withdrawing the sense organs from their natural
outward functioning and shutting the mind resolutely
against all impressions from outside, sitting in an easy
posture, one can fix the mind wanders in all directions,
but gradually one can take hold on it and close it to all
outward sensations, such as hearing, seeing, touching,
smelling or even thinking. This is meditation. Since the
mind is not disturbed by outside influence or ideas, it
is at rest like calm sea. The concept of meditation is
an old one. It is one of the features of the yogic practices.
It has also been prevalent in china, among the Muslim
Sufis and among some of the Christian sects. Since the
last three or four decades, many scientists in different

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parts of the world, have tired to investigate the

capabilities of meditation to lessen the mental and
physical stress and to relax the mind and the body.
Meditation as a Stress Relieving Therapy :- Meditation
has not only been used as an important therapy for
psychological and nervous disorders, from simple
insomnia to severe emotional disturbances, but lately
physicians have also prescribed it for curing various
physical ailments as well. It is useful in chronic and
debilitating diseases like allergies or arthritis, in which
stress or hypersensitivity of the nervous system are
involved. Regular meditation practices have also been
known to help in dealing with pain and a number of
painful diseases, whether chronic or acute. The act of
meditation comes in useful because it helps the mind
to detach itself from all material and physical
attachmentsand that is the ultimate cure for all
diseases or at least the way to transcend them when we
cannot avoid them. Research has found meditation,
especially Transcendental Meditation, to be extremely
successful in treating physiological problems.
Research on Transcendental Meditation has been
conducted at more than 200 universities, hospitals,
and research institutions in 27 countries.
As a result, more than 500 research and review
papers have been written covering a wide variety of
physiological, psychological, and sociological effects.
Transcendental Meditation allows mental activity to
settle down in a natural way while alertness is maintained
and enhanced. Physiological research has shown that
Transcendental Meditation gives rise to a state of
deep rest characterized by marked reductions in
metabolic activity, increased orderliness and
integration of brain functioning, increased cerebral
blood flow and features directly opposite to the
physiological and biochemical effects of stress. Taken
together, these studies clearly distinguish the
physiology of Transcendental Meditation from sleep
or simple relaxation. A review of research on behavioral
therapy for hypertension concluded that
Transcendental Meditation provides an optimal nonclinical treatment and preventive program for high blood
pressure because the technique: produces rapid,
clinically significant blood pressure reductions;
is distinctly more effective than other meditation and
relaxation procedures; is continued by a high
proportion of subjects (in contrast to lower continuation
rates for relaxation techniques and the frequent problem
of poor compliance with anti-hypertensive drugs);

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has documented acceptability and effectiveness in a

wide range of populations; is effective in reducing
high blood pressure both when used as sole treatment
and when used in concert with medication; reduces
high blood pressure in real life environments outside
the clinic; is free from harmful side-effects or adverse
reactions;
Benefits of MeditationMeditation wills benefits you as a whole
person. It promotes physical relaxation and calm. A
relaxed state is good for your heart and pulse rate, and
your new awareness of breathing and posture will
bring increased energy. In meditation, your brain waves
are in a different state from best of either waking or
sleeping, and both sides of your brain are active.
Meditation unites mind and body. You can find peace
of mind by learning to detach yourself from troubling
thoughts. Your powers of concentration will sharpen
with practice, too. Physical Exercise is necessary in
order to keep the body healthy, physically and mentally.
It should be taken daily Physical exercise, after one
has been doing it for quite some time, makes the person
do more work with less expenditure of energy. For a
person whose main job during the day is mental work,
physical exercise is very important.
Physical Benefits:
1.Deep rest-as measured by decreased
metabolic rate, lower heart rate, and reduced work load
of the heart. 2.Lowered levels of cortisol and lactatetwo chemicals associated with stress. 3.Reduction of
free radicals- unstable oxygen molecules that can cause
tissue damage. They are now thought to be a major
factor in aging and in many diseases. 4.Decreased
high blood pressure. 5. Higher skin resistance. Low
skin resistance is correlated with higher stress and
anxiety levels. Drop in cholesterol levels. High
cholesterol is associated with cardiovascular disease.
.Improved flow of air to the lungs resulting in easier
breathing. This has been very helpful to asthma patients.
8.Younger biological age.
Psychological Benefits P1.Increased brain wave
coherence. Harmony of brain wave activity in different
parts of the brain is associated with greater creativity,
improved moral reasoning, and higher IQ. 2.

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Decreased anxiety. 3.Decreased depression. 4.

Decreased irritability and moodiness. 5. Improved
learning ability and memory. 6. Increased selfactualization.
Spiritual Benefits of Meditation:The longer an
individual practices meditation, the greater the
likelihood that his or her goals and efforts will shift
toward personal and spiritual growth. Many
individuals who initially learn meditation for its selfregulatory aspects find that as their practice deepens
they are drawn more and more into the realm of the
spiritual.
Other Benefits of Meditation: 1. Stress relief. 2.Helps
prevent coronary artery disease and possibly other
diseases. 3. Delays the ageingprocess.
4.Improvesbreathing efficiency.5.Strengthens
muscles, tendons and bones. 6. Increase muscle
flexibility, tone and reflexes. 7. Increase
stamina.8.Improves digestion.9.Increase energy and
reduces fatigue. 10. Enhances physical appearance
including complexion and Posture. 11. Increases
appetite.11.Results in better mental attitudes and
frame of mind.12. Results in improved
thinking.13.Promotes feelings of euphoria, tranquility
and relaxation.14. Promotes muscular relaxation.15.
Provides a method to prevent and treat minor back
problems.16. Prevents varicosities.17.Results in better
support for internal organs.18.Allows for easier and
better sleeping.
Conclusion: Whatever solution you choose, you
wont regret learning to relax. Guided meditation is a
very pleasant way to de-stress and relax. It is where
one person guides another through a peaceful relaxing
journey to resolve issues or problems. The journey is
in the mind, brought to life by the listeners imagination
and the experienced, soothing voice of the guide.
Meditation that cultivates mindfulness is particularly
effective at reducing stress, anxiety, depression, and
other negative emotions. Mindfulness is the quality
of being fully engaged in the present moment, without
analyzing or otherwise over-thinking the experience.
Rather than worrying about the future or dwelling on
the past, mindfulness meditation switches the focus
to whats happening right now.

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R E F E R E N C E David, Managing Stress, Excel Books, 1

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